Vessel
by Challa
Summary: After working as a paranormal investigator for years, Zak Bagans has reached a point in his life where he can no longer separate the living world from the dead. Tormented by demons, spirits and malicious energies, he seeks help from Dr.Watson - a psychiatrist with no belief of the supernatural. While trying to help Zak gain control of his hysteria, Dr.Watson finds herself...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** The full summary didn't fit in the box, so I'm adding it here.  
><em>After working as a paranormal investigator for years, Zak Bagans has reached a point in his life where he can no longer separate the living world from the dead. Tormented by demons, spirits and malicious energies, he seeks help from - a psychiatrist with no belief of the supernatural. While trying to help Zak gain control of his hysteria, finds herself grasping at straws as she's pulled into a world of darkness. Who will save who in the end?<br>~This is my contribution to NaNoWriMo this year. I have big hopes for it and will do my best to keep the chapters coming out smoothly. Read and review. Constructive criticism is always welcome~_

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><p>Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick.<br>The clock on the wall ticked away, the seconds mockingly getting slower, louder and more unbearable with every new tick emitting from the round mechanical decoration. The black numbers burned against the white interior within the copper-colored frame, disrupting the cool background with their sharp and bold edges.

He shifted in his seat, leaning back against the too heavily stuffed backrest of the dark blue sofa.  
><em>'Time, man's worst enemy<em>_'_ he thought to himself as he watched as another lap around the circular machinery had passed.  
>He sighed quietly and dug his hand down his pocket; fishing up his black cell-phone and opening his text-messages. Composing a new text to Aaron; he quickly jotted down "You're so gonna pay for this"<br>Aaron replied about half a minute later, saying: "It's for your own good, bro. It can't get any worse"  
>Huffing at his friend's reply; he shifted yet again and glanced back at the round clock. He'd been stuck in the waiting room for 15 minutes. 15 minutes of complete silence, save from that obnoxious ticking that never seemed to end. 15 minutes he could have spent in his car, driving back to Aaron's to kick his ass for getting him to agree to this.<p>

The sharp sound of heels click-clacking against the off-white floor behind him brought him back from his musings. He tilted his head a bit, seeing the back of a woman hurrying down the hallway while the footsteps slowly died down.

" is ready to see you now," A soft voice spoke up from the other corner of the room. He turned his head towards the sound and laid his eyes on a slightly short female with chestnut-brown hair tied up in a bun at the back of her head. "Sorry to keep you waiting. This way, please," She added in a meek voice while her brown eyes studied her feet. A light shade of pink clad her cheeks and he inwardly groaned at her weak attempt of hiding her embarrassment.

Standing from his previously relaxed position on the sofa, he shoved his cell-phone down his pocket and took two long strides toward the nurse. She took a small step backward, an obvious attempt of putting some space in between them, and turned on her heel.

"This way, please" She said again and offered him a quick smile.

Zak obliged and fell into step right behind her, happy to finally get away from the awful clock in the waiting room.

The hallway was brightly lit. The walls were covered in an eggshell colored wallpaper with a thick blue line stretching from one corner of the corridor to the other in a wave-like pattern. Doors were lined systematically along the corridor. Some had a red little lamp lit next to the name-tag, signaling that the person on the other side of the door was busy with a patient. The smell of freshly brewed coffee reached his nostrils as they passed an open door to what seemed to be the staff-room. He quickly glanced into the room and was met with a smile and nod from an elderly lady sipping her coffee before he steered his attention back to the girl as she suddenly rounded a corner, nearly crashing into another nurse whose attention was elsewhere.

"I'm sorry," The younger of the two apologized, her eyes shifting downward yet again.

The elder gave no reply as she hugged a file of papers close to her chest and hurriedly continued into what seemed to be her office.

The younger nurse stopped in front of a half-open door and gave a quick rap with her knuckles against it. "Dr. Watson," she called out as she gently pushed the door open. "Mr. Bagans is here to see you,"

"Send him in," A voice called from the dark room and the nurse took a step back, nodded towards Zak and hurried away after that.

Zak took a step toward the door and was just about to reach for the handle when the door suddenly swung open completely, revealing a woman in her mid thirties standing about a foot from him.

"I am so sorry to have kept you waiting. Traffic was terrible," She blurted out and stepped aside to allow him to enter fully. "Please, take a seat. Zak, was it?" She continued as she closed the door and flipped a switch which turned the red light on, on the other side of the door.

Shuffling toward her desk, she quickly grabbed a notebook and a pen before turning to face him. "Where are my manners?" She scolded herself and stretched her right arm out to shake his. "Dr. Watson, hi," She flashed him a smile and motioned for him to sit again. She sat down in the one unoccupied dark blue armchair across the small table from Zak's identical one and lifted one hand to pat at the top of her head and brought the pair of glasses resting there back down to rest against her nose.

"So, Zak. I understood you're here of your own free will." She stated as she scribbled a few words onto the the empty page of her notebook. "Are you okay with me taking notes?"

She lifted her gaze for a second. Her hazel eyes meeting his for the first time, searching and observing his blue ones for any hint of emotion.

"Yes."

"What brings you here?" She asked as she wrote a couple of more words onto the open page without breaking eye-contact with the dark-haired man.

He shifted in his seat, his eyes wavering for a second as he quickly glanced to his right. His right foot rested slightly over his left knee and his left hand picked at a few white short strands of fur that had stuck to his black pants. Lightly scratching his chin, he turned his attention back towards the doctor.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" He challenged. "Do you believe in life after death?"

He watched her intently, watched as she stilled her pen and lowered her notebook. Her eyes met his again and she blinked once - twice before giving him a small smile.

"No."

"Do you believe there's a parallel world next to ours? A different dimension that we can sometime peek into?" He asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

She seemed to be contemplating on how to formulate her reply. By the way he had phrased his questions; it was rather obvious to her that he honestly believed in the supernatural, which she on the other hand, did not. "I believe our minds can trick us into believing there is a different world inside of the one we live in," she said slowly. "I also believe _that_ in itself is a defense mechanism we put up in order to shield ourselves from harm."

He leaned back in his seat at that and folded his hands in his lap, quietly watching her and waiting for her to deliberate. Strands of her light-brown hair spilled over her shoulder and she gently tucked some of it behind her ear.

"Is death something you fear or look forward to?" She asked.

Zak glanced her over, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Neither," he stated. "I simply want to gather as much information as possible about the subject and prove to those in denial that there is a whole new world for us to accept and explore." His cell-phone started ringing after that. Fishing his phone up of his pocket yet again, he glanced at the caller id for a second before ignoring the call and turning the sound off. "Sorry."

She nodded and pushed her glasses further up her nose as she scribbled a couple of words on her page again. "And why is that of such importance to you?"

He glanced at the wall behind her for a few seconds, carefully choosing his words. "From my experience of working with the paranormal I have come to learn that people will always have questions about life after death. If I can give them the answers they seek from a scientific point of view then perhaps I can help people find peace in their lives."

"Do you feel peace in your life?"

His eyes locked with hers and he frowned. "No."

"Do you know how you could find peace in your life?" She asked.

"I don't think I ever will." He answered truthfully and watched as she wrote a couple of more words onto the sheet of paper she'd been writing notes on during their half-hour of talking.

"And why is that?" She asked while glancing down at her notes. The pen she held swirled across the lined page in a rhythmic manner as the blue ink stained the sheet with words.

Zak remained quiet as she wrote, peeking around the room and trying to gather his thoughts. The office he was in was darkly lit. One of the two strip lights in her lamp seemed to be broken as it flickered on an off a couple of times before dying completely. Her desk was filled with papers, books, another pair of glasses and a computer, which currently worked as another light-source.

Oh how he'd love to feel peace. He'd love to be able to live a normal life in the way of not having to be tormented by these sinister energies which seemed to seek him out like flies to a lamp on a dark night. He'd been warned countless times that the road he was currently heading down would not lead to a happy place. He'd serve as the guide of thousands of people but also serve as a gateway for spirits; offering them a chance and opportunity to get their voices heard. He'd been naive when diving head first into his choice of career. He'd been reckless and too driven of wanting to know more that he completely failed to notice the warning headlines.

"Zak?"

Snapping out of his thoughts he found Dr. Watson waving a hand in front of his face, a look of worry evident on her features.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice full of concern as she gave him a quick once-over. The light from the computer-screen in the corner of her office cast her face in a light blue hue, almost making her look ethereal.

"What?" He questioned and shifted in his seat. The phone in his pocket started vibrating and he swore he'd kill Aaron the next time he ran into him.

"Why will you not find peace?" She asked again and locked her eyes with his.

Letting out a puff of air he didn't know he'd been holding he answered her in a monotone voice. "Because death is never-ending."

Neither said a word. The soft buzzing from the computer was the only sound resonating throughout the room. He glanced at the clock hanging above the light-gray door. 11:45 it read. He was sure they'd end today's session in a couple of minutes. Shifting his eyes toward the doctor, he noticed she seemed lost in thought as she stared at a spot somewhere behind him. She was pretty, he noted. Long dark lashes framed her almond shaped eyes. Her nose was small and slender, the tip protruding above her full lips. High cheekbones shaped her face into one of a model's. Her hair was a light brown shade, reaching slightly below her shoulders and curling inward toward the upper part of her chest.

"I think we should end it here," She suddenly spoke.

Raising his head a bit, he licked his lips and nodded once.

"Can you come back next Tuesday at 2pm?" She asked and flipped through a couple of pages in her journal.

"I must have missed her going to retrieve it," he thought. Fishing his phone out of his pocket a third time, he checked his calendar to make sure he didn't have any other plans that day. "Tuesday is fine," He stated and made a quick note as to not forget about the appointment. Checking his call-list while still having his phone in his hand, he noticed Aaron had indeed called him earlier which made him wonder if something had happen. "See you next week," He added and got up from his seat, and seeing her do the same from the corner of his eye, he shot her a quick glance and offered a smile.

She walked him to her door and switched the red lamp off. "Have a nice day,"

"You too," he mumbled and left.

While walking through the brightly lit corridor a second time that day, he kept his phone against his ear as he waited for Aaron to pick up on the other end. After making a turn and passing the staff-room, Aaron finally picked up. "Sup dude?"

"Why you keep callin' me, man?" Zak questioned and made his way through the empty waiting room before exiting through a locked door which led to the reception and two bathrooms.

"I was bored and Nick's sleeping," Aaron replied.

"And it never occurred to you that I might be busy?" Finally exiting the building, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the crisp September air and started making his way to where his car was parked.

Ignoring his annoyed friend, Aaron steered their conversation onto their latest investigation. "I think I found some new evidence. I mean, it could be one of our shadows, but I don't know. I just think you should see it,"

Sighing a bit, Zak nodded and unlocked his car, "I'll be there in a few,"

"Oh, could you stop by at Starbucks?" Aaron asked and did his best to contain his laughter. He knew he was pushing Zak's buttons and that he'd blow up any second.

"No,"

"Aw, come on, dude."

"I'm hanging up now. Bye." Zak threw his phone onto the passenger seat and sighed again. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he could literary feel the voices in his head ganging up on him; the tension getting thicker, leaving him with another one of his killer headaches. He needed to sleep. He needed some time off.

Setting his car in reverse he finally made his way towards Aaron's. Whatever he had found better be good.

* * *

><p>Dr. Watson sat at her desk, her elbows resting against the cool wood as she rested her chin onto the back of her palms. The document she had created in Zak's patient-register was still empty, save from his contact information he'd left with the receptionist, and she sighed quietly before standing and making her way out to the staff-room to get some coffee. She still had a couple of minutes before her next appointment would show up and even if the day was still young, one could never have enough of that dark and spicy liquid.<p>

Shuffling toward the counter, she opened one of the pastel-yellow cabinet-doors and reached for her mug.

"Hey," A voice spoke up from behind her, nearly causing her to drop the porcelain cup. Quickly turning around, she came face to face with Lisa, one of the newer nurses of the clinic.

"God damn it, Lisa! Don't do that!" She wailed. "I'm seriously gonna get a heart-attack if you keep this up. Gawsh!" Stomping over to where the newly brewed coffee was, she started pouring coffee into her mug and heard Lisa talk again.

"I heard you got that ghost hunter. He's hot,"

"What?" Dr. Watson asked and sat down on the brown leather couch.

"That Zak guy," Lisa answered, "Anna told me you were the lucky one to get him."

Sipping her coffee, she lowered her eyes for a second, "Oh, right."

Sitting down next to the Doctor, Lisa eyed her curiously. "How was he? What did he say?"

One thin eyebrow rose on Dr. Watson's forehead as she watched her colleague suspiciously. "You know I can not talk about my patients, Lisa."

"Aw, come on! He's a public figure. He's on TV for Christ sake!"

"That doesn't change anything,"

"Why aren't you swooning over him?" Lisa questioned. "He's like the hottest guy on the planet. The only reason I even watch his show is because of him."

"Well okay then."

"Wait," Lisa started, "Have you even seen his show?" Her voice turned questioningly.

Feeling the younger nurse leaning closer toward her, Dr. Watson leaned back a bit to put some distance between them and sipper her coffee again.

"Oh my God, you haven't!"

"Unlike you, I don't have time to sit and watch TV all day," Dr. Watson snapped, her patience wearing thin.

"Geez, what climbed up your ass and died?" Lisa grumbled and shot the doctor a disgusted look. "Is the rest of his crew here for therapy as well or…?"

"Crew?"

"Damn it, woman! You need to get a life!" Lisa exasperated. "When celebrities see therapists you know you need to keep your eyes and ears open. Now is when the juicy stuff comes out,"

"That's enough!" Dr. Watson warned. "I don't care about his background or choice in career. I don't care if he, nor any other of my patients are somewhat of a celebrity. My job is to listen and give them insight into their lives. My job here is to help." Setting her cup down onto the table, she continued, "Why am I eve defending my position to you?"

Raising her hands in defeat, Lisa stood up and sent the doctor a look of pity. "Geez, no need to take shit so seriously," and with that she hurried toward the door. "And for the record, I know what position I'd want to be in the next time he comes around," And with a wink, she left.

Ignoring the taunts of her younger colleague, Dr. Watson let her gaze slide to the digital clock on the microwave resting on the counter. It was time for her next appointment, so she finished her coffee, left the empty mug in the sink and went back to her office.

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><p>Zak pulled up to the driveway of Aaron's apartment complex a couple of minutes later. Whatever Aaron had found, it better be valid proof of what they were hunting. Capturing evidence had been rather slow these past couple of weeks, and Zak knew it was partly because of his current condition. He wasn't himself. Hell, he hadn't been himself in weeks. He'd been losing sleep, hadn't eaten regularly, he had screwed up their past two investigations by completely losing it. He was border-lining insanity and had no clue of how, why or when it had happened. All he really knew for certain was that he needed help and that's where Aaron had more or less forced him to seek out a psychiatrist.<p>

Opening the car door he stepped out into the cool September morning and started making his way toward the entrance of the large white building. Glancing at his reflection in the windows he passed by, he shuddered slightly at the person staring back at him; his face distorted and with dark bags underneath his eyes.

Pushing the door open, he stepped into the lobby and walked toward the elevator. The elevator gave off a ding as its doors slid open, granting the paranormal investigator access. They closed soundlessly behind him and the ride up to Aaron's apartment went by quickly. Dinging again, the metal doors slid open a second time and Zak walked out into the darkly lit corridor and headed to his right. He knocked twice on the wooden door leading to Aaron's apartment and took a deep breath before letting himself in.


	2. Chapter 2

Aaron's apartment was dark. He had a tendency to leave his blinds down, much like Zak, but even though Zak preferred living in badly lit environment, today was not one of those days. Sidestepping a heap of dirty laundry on the floor, he made his way toward the closest window and was just about to open the blinds when Aaron suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, dude!" The bald man chirped while leaning back in his office chair to greet Zak. "How did therapy go?"

Deciding to leave the blinds half-open, Zak then took a seat next to his friend and shrugged slightly, "It went fine. What did you find?"

One dark eyebrow rose on Aaron's forehead as he eyed the newcomer. "Just fine?"

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Zak leaned back in the chair and glared at the computer screen. "Yeah,"

"Dude, talk to me. You look like shit," The bearded of the two insisted. "Can he help you or what?"

Not bothering to respond, Zak continued glaring at the computer screen.

"You're scaring me, bro," Aaron quivered and laughed nervously as he reached forward to grab the computer-mouse. "Anyway, check this out," he continued as he opened one of the files on his desktop. "I was going through the evidence from last week's lock-down and I came across this. It was captured on your camera when you went alone down to the basement." He continued. "I've tried debunking it by matching the tapes from the same spot filmed by the x-cam, but it doesn't add up. You'll see why in a bit." He pressed play and leaned back in his chair, giving Zak room to navigate through the file as he pleased.

Leaning closer toward the screen, Zak watched the recorded video intensely. At first, the only thing captured was his voice and half his face as he asked his standard questions, but soon enough he had turned the camera around and was walking further into the abandoned basement.

"Look closely at the upper right corner," Aaron explained and pointed to the spot he wanted Zak to pay attention to.

At first he saw nothing and decided to replay the file again. The second time, a small light-gray mist like figure barely showed as it swept across the upper corner of the video; going quickly into frame and then returning the way it came.

"Damn. How did you even notice that?" Zak asked. "It barely shows at all," He played the sequence again and again, changed the settings a bit and zoomed in on the object. "It's almost as if it's out of frame, like we only captured half of it."

Aaron shooed Zak's hand away and opened another file, this one showing the film from the x-camera, which was filming in the same direction but from a different angle.

"The weird thing is that the x-cam didn't capture anything at all." Aaron fast-forwarded the clip to match the footage of Zak's camera. Playing both files simultaneously, both men found themselves staring intensely at the screen.

"That is weird." Zak mumbled. "I believe we have seen enough footage to be able to debunk it as neither dust nor a bug, and orbs are usually more round, so what is that?" He questioned.

A loud buzz broke their concentration. Aaron rolled his chair a few feet to his left and went to retrieve his phone which lay upon a couple of books on the desk. "What's up Nick?" He greeted as his ear pressed against the phone. Standing from his previously comfortable position, he left the room and entered the kitchen.

While Aaron spoke to the third member of their crew, Zak went back to the computer in hopes of figuring out what exactly had gotten caught on camera. So called shadow-people were one of his theories, but they hadn't been able to catch any of those on film before, and while he knew spirits needed a lot of energy in order to materialize, none of his electrical equipment had malfunctioned during the event.

He leaned his elbows onto the wooden desk and placed his chin in his right hand. His fingers slid over his left cheek as his mind raced to get answers. Aaron re-entered the room a couple of minutes later with his phone in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

"Nick found a new location. We're heading there in a week."

"I have therapy on Tuesday," Zak blurted out.

Aaron stopped dead in his tracks and stared at his friend. He blinked, smirked and placed a hand on his hip. "Oh hell no!" he exclaimed. "So you think you can just get out of this for what? Therapy? You, young man, are grounded, ooh-kaay?!" He joked. His head bobbing both left and right as he ended his outburst with a pout on his lips.

A delicate eyebrow rose on Zak's forehead as he eyed his friend and colleague. Aaron was a weird dude. "…and here I am, thinking I'm the one going crazy," Zak mumbled and sunk further into his seat.

_

Nick joined the two investigators a little while later with a couple of books, folders containing clippings from newspapers and with three cups of coffee. His ash-blond hair was combed back, eyes looking perky and a smile adorned his lips as he entered Aaron's apartment. Setting the items onto Aaron's white dining table, he called his friends over to come and help with the research. The smile playing on his lips gradually faded as he laid his eyes on Zak.

"Holy… What happened to you?" He questioned slightly taken aback by his friend's unusual appearance.

Zak's characteristic fauxhawk was non existent. Instead his black hair laid unusually flat against his skull with occasional strands of hair pointing every other direction, giving him the looks of a madman. His otherwise clear-blue eyes were leaning more toward a dull gray shade with dark under-eye circles above the apples of his cheeks. His posture was nowhere near his usual confident attitude, instead his arms hung loosely down the sides of his frame with one hand tucked slightly into the pocket of his pants. He leaned against the doorway between Aaron's workspace and living-room and looked… dead.

Aaron eyed the third man from behind Zak and gestured for him to shut up. Nick got the hint and smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

Aaron clapped Zak on the shoulder before taking a seat in his black leather couch. "Ooh, coffee!" He exclaimed excitedly and reached for the cup with his name written on the side of the white paper-cup. Peeling the lid off, he took a small sip of the black liquid, enjoying every molecule of the rich fluid with a deep moan of contentment.

Nick knelt down on the floor, grabbed one of the two remaining cups and held it out in Zak's direction. "Coffee?" He offered his long-time friend as an act of peace for his earlier outburst.

Zak left his spot against the door-frame and grasped the cup. Leaning down towards the table, he then took one of the folders containing newspaper clippings and took a seat next to Aaron on the couch.

"Let's get to work, dudes,"

_

Nick had been well prepared with the reports, notes, files and newspaper-clippings concerning their new location. They were heading to an old hotel in Jefferson County, Missouri. The hotel was originally built as a farm house back in 1816 but started going through reconstruction sometime after 1856 when John M. Morse bought the building. The hotel had it's prime-time during the mid 1920's and the 1930's with guests such as Charlie Chaplin, Al Capone, and Clara Bow - the woman whom served as an inspiration-source for the character Betty Boop. To top it all, the first national female serial-killer had both lived and worked in the building. Serving as a cook, she poisoned many people with her exceptional skills. A favorite of hers was giving arsenic chocolates to kids. After her death, her body had been buried nearby.

The location had gone through many phases during it's decades of being used. Going from a private house to a brothel, confederate hospital, post office, underground railroad, to a hotel and it had the privilege of carrying the history of multiple murder scenes stretching over the timespan of decades. Reports spoke of multiple cases of people seeing shadow-figures, getting touched, pushed and even felt up I a sexual way. Nick, Aaron and Zak were bound to find evidence to confirm the stories. This place promised everything and even had a few evp's to back up some of the stories.

"So, what do you guys think?" Nick asked after finishing another one of the police-reports he'd gotten his hands on. He placed the folder on top of the pile of files he'd already gone through and went to fetch another one.

"Dude, this place sounds wicked!" Aaron exclaimed. "We have celebrities, murders, evp's, shadow-figures… This place is off the hook!" He beamed.

"Yeah, I just hope it's not just a scam to lure people over. Don't you find it fishy that they seem to have everything?" Nick asked, emphasizing 'everything'.

Zak looked up from his folder of newspaper-articles and eyed his two friends. He'd been reading up on the serial killer and had -up until now counted 35 murders taking place at the location. Almost half of those were children. "I'd like to try and make contact with Bertha Gifford." He stated and lowered his folder. "I want to know why anyone could even think of murdering children. Are they still there? Is she still tormenting them? I have a feeling we'll be dealing with something darker than a spirit. This sounds demonic to me."

"Yeah, bro, I hear ya," Aaron nodded.

"Whatever is there, we'll get to the bottom with it," Zak added.

"Indeed," The two others agreed.

_

Tuesday came quickly and Zak found himself in the same obnoxious waiting room as a week prior. This time he was accompanied by an older male and a teenage girl waiting to get called in much like himself. The same clock ticked tauntingly at it's spot on the wall, but this time Zak was prepared and sat quietly in his seat with his ear-buds in. The cord went from his ears and into his phone where he listened to some music and he drummed his thumbs against the sides of his phone in perfect synchronization with the beat of his choice of tune. He glanced over at the elder man sitting hunched over a women's magazine and studied him for a while. He looked to be around his early 60's with white hair crowning the sides of his head in a c-shape, leaving the top of it bare of any hair. His eyes were heavily sunken in, framed by bushy eyebrows and deep lines of wrinkles. His nose was big and protruded out in a hawk-like shape over thin lips set in a brooding snarl. His skin had a gray-tint to it which made him look older than he probably was and the beige/gray trench-coat he wore did nothing to bring out any sort of personality.

Turning his attention to the teenager, he caught her checking him out. A blush spread across her cheeks as she quickly looked down onto her hands which fidgeted in her lap. Resisting the urge to sigh, he gave her a quick once-over. Pitch-black hair sprung from the top of her head in a layered hairstyle, framing her heart-shaped face and ending right above her shoulders. Her eyes were heavily lined with black, her nose was pierced and her bottom lip was adorned with what he recalled went by the name 'snakebites'. Much like himself she wore all black and a t-shirt that read 'I'm only wearing black until they invent something darker'. The corner of his lips twitched slightly as he scorned. Looking at her person made him remember his days as a teenager. Bullied, tormented and constantly picked on by his classmates, growing up was not easy. Her head rose slowly and she peeked at him through her thick eyelashes. He forced a quick smile and went back to his phone. He was in no mood to strike up a conversation.

A couple of minutes passed before a light tap on his shoulder brought him out of his zone. Turning his head to his right he was met with the view of two delicate mounds threatening to break out of a white tank top with a ridiculously low neck. He quickly diverted his gaze upward and pulled the buds from his ears.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Oh, hi! I'm Lisa," The woman began cheerfully and stretched her right hand out to greet him.

Cocking an eyebrow, Zak reached his hand out to shake hers. "Uh…"

"Dr. Watson is ready to see you now, and perhaps if you're free then maybe I get to see more of you later," The woman winked and discreetly pushed over a piece of paper through their connected hands.

Staring dumbfounded at the woman in front of him, Zak felt his throat dry up. "Uh…"

"Um, Lisa…" Another woman carefully entered the waiting room and Zak recognized her as the shy nurse he met the week before. "I'm here to escort Mr. Bagans to Dr. Watson's office," she added in with her wobbly voice and her eyes shot to the floor in embarrassment.

Zak rose from his seat and pocketed his phone along with the piece of paper he'd recently received. He faked a smile as he brushed past Lisa and silently left the waiting room. The shy nurse fell into step beside him and offered him a shy smile when he nodded his head in greeting when she finally found the nerve to acknowledge him.

"Thanks," He smiled once they were outside Dr. Watson's office.

The nurse's cheeks burned crimson as she knocked on the door and the second the psychiatrist opened the door she silently shuffled away, leaving Zak and his therapist to their business.

"Ah, Mr. Bagans," The occupant of the room greeted. "Please come in," she added as she flipped the switch signaling she was busy before she closed the door behind them, completely missing the dark shadow that managed to sneak into her room before the door closed.

Zak sat down in the same seat as last week and folded his hands in his lap. He curiously eyed his psychiatrist whom was dressed in a white button up shirt and a black waist-high pencil skirt. Her hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders, softly draping down over the upper part of her back. Her eyes were lightly framed by a thin line of black eyeliner and some mascara, quite the contrast compared to the black-clothed teenager in the waiting room. He leaned to his left and set his elbow on the armrest. Laying his chin in the palm of his hand, he silently watched the woman in front of him scurry from the door and to her desk before ending up in front of him where she silently took a seat in the chair across the small squared table in between them.

"So," she started. "How are you feeling today?" Picking up a notebook from the small table in between them, she flipped through the first couple of pages until she found an unwritten one and quickly scribbled his name and today's date on the top line.

Zak shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, I guess," He had actually taken the time to trim the short beard on his chin, The thin mustache over his upper lip was groomed and he had even made an effort to shape his hair into his characteristic fauxhawk.

"You look fine," She stated and nodded in agreement.

He shrugged and broke eye-contact for a second.

"Last week we spoke about life and death," She started. "You said some very interesting things about life after death and your mission in this world, if you don't mind me phrasing it that way?" Her hazel colored eyes watched him intensely, observing him and his reaction to her question. "What lead you onto your current path of life?"

"Uh…" He scratched the side of his head. "I had an encounter with a female spirit in my old apartment in Trenton, Michigan. I kept waking up at the same time night after night until I saw her standing there right in front of me by the foot of my bed. She apparently committed suicide in the next door building and somehow ended up with me in my apartment."

She scribbled something down onto the open page in her lap. "That's interesting. How did you find out about her?"

"I did some research, asked my landlord, spoke to the neighbors… you know, that sort of thing," he stated wryly and straightened in his seat.

"Are you currently in a relationship?" She suddenly asked.

Zak's eyes shot to hers and he eyed her curiously. "No," She nodded discreetly and wrote the word 'single' on the paper. "Why?" he questioned.

Her eyes met his again. Hazel staring into blue. His question hung heavily in the room, waiting to get answered.

"When were you last in a relationship?" She countered his question with another one of her own.

"They don't approve of me being in a relationship," he grumbled.

Here eyes widened a fraction at that. "They?" She questioned.

Sighing deeply, he shifted yet again in his seat. "My relationships don't last because they scare them off,"

"Who does?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"…"

"Whenever I bring someone home they scare them off. I guess they're being protective."

"Protective of you?" She questioned.

His eyes shot to hers and he licked his lips. "I guess you could say that."

"Why?"

Shaking his head slightly, Zak's eyes locked with the female's in front of him "Because I'm their only hope if they want to get their story heard."

Leaning closer toward the paranormal investigator, Dr. Watson asked: "What is their story?"

"Do you really want to know?" Zak questioned and copied the woman's actions by leaning in closer as well.

"Yes," She stated and lowered her gaze a fraction.

His eyes shot to her lips for a millisecond before a genuine smile spread across his lips and he gazed yet again into the beautiful mixture of brown and green in her eyes. "I-"

Two hard knocks against the door interrupted the intense conversation between the couple. "Excuse me, Avelina, we have a situation," a man in his mid 40's stated as he flung the door open, causing Zak to quickly lean back against the backrest of his chair.

The sound of a woman screaming traveled through the corridor outside of the room, making Avelina quickly stand from her seat. "Virginia?"

The man nodded once and stepped aside to make room for Dr. Watson.

"Zak, this is an emergency, could you please wait here?" Avelina questioned as she hurried toward the door.

"Uh…" Zak started but was cut off by another heartbreaking scream resounding throughout the corridor.

Dr. Watson quickly left the room, leaving the door ajar behind her. Zak sighed quietly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Today's session was so far out of his comfort zone that the thought of leaving was getting more and more tempting by the minute.

A sudden flicker of the lights brought him back from his musings. He recognized this from home. The lights flickered again and the hairs on his arms suddenly stood on peek. This only meant one thing.

He wasn't alone.

_  
>AN: I feel the need to explain that updates might be a bit slow since I'm a single mom to a 2,5 year old kid. The only time I can actually write is when he's at daycare or asleep, so I hope you'll bear with me an


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